A Favor
by Sakura Blossoms Falling
Summary: Brenna and Bethany Starr are Echizen Ryoma's friends from America. Brenna is traumatized and Bethany visits Ryoma asking for a favor, to cure Brenna's fear of tennis.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic and I am a beginning writer so please be kind.**

**This story has just been bugging me in the back of my head forever so I decided to write it down.**

**I don't have a beta reader and don't know any so if someone could recommend one that would be awesome.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...**

**Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

A sullen girl with a black baseball cap pulled down to hide her eyes sulked in the back seat of a taxi. A second girl sat next to her and looked at her twin in concern. "You know that it'll do you good to come here." The first girl just grunted and turned away from her sister, irritation rolling off her in waves. The second girl sighed in defeat and sent out a silent plea to the friend they were on their way to see,_ I hope you can help her, Chibi.._

The taxi pulled up in front of the gates of the Seishun Gakuen. It was after classes and only the after school clubs and the late studiers were still at the school. The second girl pulled her still sulking sister out of the cab and paid the driver. After the cab drove off, the second girl started dragging the first through the school gates in search of a specific sports team.

The first girl had one hand steadying her cap and the other was held captive by her older twin, who was dragging her through the Seishun Gakuen campus. The first dreaded meeting who they were going to meet. She hadn't seen him for nearly three months ever since he left the States and moved to Japan. She didn't relish the thought of facing him again after these months apart. She was sure both of them had changed too much.

"Bethany, I _really_ don't want to do this," the younger twin pleaded, but was ignored. "Please don't make me." Her voice was on the verge of begging and she saw her sister's face scrunch up in the effort it took her not to listen.

"You need it, Brenna. Don't pull that 'I don't want to' shit with me. I'm your twin and I say that it's high time you got over your fears." Bethany's heart clenched when she said this. She knew the trauma that her precious twin had gone through and the cause of her fear, but she couldn't let her sister go through life and turn her back on what she loved to do. As a twin, she wouldn't allow that. With that determination, she had told their parents of her plans and carted Brenna off to Japan.

Bethany pulled her to a pair of girls, one had long brown hair tied in braids down her back and were tied with ribbons. The other had shorter hair and barrettes holding her some of her hair back. "Hey, can you point us towards the boy's tennis team?"

The girl with braids blushed slightly and the one with barrettes nodded enthusiastically, "Sure! Follow us, we were going there just now anyways!" She grabbed her friend's hand and cheerfully skipped away.

Brenna looked at her sister in annoyance and Bethany sighed, "You're going to have to deal with it for now." She began pulling Brenna after her again.

The twins followed the pair of younger girls around to the back of the school. When Brenna saw the high fences of the tennis court come into view she dug her heels in and yanked her arm to bring Bethany to a stop. "Please, don't make me do this." She pleaded once again.

Bethany looked at her twin and saw that she about to cry. Her heart clenched painfully again and Bethany really wanted to give her twin what she wanted, but she knew she had to stick with her decision. "I'm sorry, Brenna, but you have to." She turned away from her sister's frozen face because she couldn't face her. "Sorry," she muttered again.

Brenna dragged her feet as Bethany pulled her towards the courts. There was a group of nine boys who were separated from the others and Bethany assumed they were the regulars from they way they dressed and way they acted. Bethany looked around until she saw the person she was looking for. She wore a purple track suit and had her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. She stood a ways away from the other boys, watching them with a proud gaze.

"Ryuzaki-sensei!" Brenna yelled as she dragged her sister over to the coach of the Seishun Gakuen boy's tennis team. "We're here!" She smiled warmly at the elder woman.

Ryuzaki turned to the twins with a smile, "Ah! Hello Brenna and Bethany! It's good to see you again." Ryuzaki was the former coach of their dad's friend, Nanjiro Echizen; the two of them had met when Nanjiro moved to the States to compete and had been close ever since. Their children had grown up playing tennis with each other even though Brenna and Bethany were two years older than Ryoma.

"Hello, Ryuzaki-sensei! We just got here this morning, but we went to the hotel to sleep. Jet lag sucks." Brenna hugged the older coach.

"Yes, it sure does, but I'm glad you got here safely," Ryuzaki answered, hugging the girl back. She straightened and looked at Brenna and then down at Bethany.

Bethany saw the older coach's concerned look and turned to Bethany. "Do you think that your team will be able to help her?" She asked, looking at her sister and the uncomfortable air she held around her.

Ryuzaki looked over the younger twin. Brenna wore a light purple t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on the front under a light zip-up gray sweatshirt. She wore basketball shorts that reached just above her knees and sneakers. Long midnight blue-black hair was pulled into a single braid down the middle of her back and her face was hidden by the baseball cap that was pulled down. A crimson scarf wrapped around her neck once and the ends trailed to her waist. Ryuzaki remembered Brenna Starr as an independent, full of confidence and bright girl. The girl she saw now was hardly recognizable; the look of misery on her face, the apprehension in her eyes as they darted here and there, and probably the most shocking, was the slight flinch every time the dull _thwack_ of a racket hitting a tennis ball was heard.

"Hello, Brenna," Ryuzaki said softly to the girl in front of her. Brenna didn't answer, just tugged the cap down farther and lowered her head to stare at the ground. Bethany and Ryuzaki looked at each and Bethany shrugged and shook her head. "Alright, I'll introduce you to the team." She walked towards the courts and called to the regulars, "Line up! I have some people that I would like you to meet!" The regulars stopped their practice and lined up quickly.

Ryuzaki called the twins in and said, "These two young girls are from the United States and they will be us for a while. The one with the scarf is the younger twin, Brenna Starr," she indicated Brenna, "and the other girl is her older twin, Bethany Starr. Please introduce yourselves."

Brenna kept her head down and her eyes fixed on the green courts. She refused to look up as she listened to the regulars introduce themselves. Despite the fact that she looked as if she wasn't paying attention, Brenna was attentively listening to the voices of the regulars, memorizing them and looking for the one she knew. It was the last voice, "Echizen Ryoma," that made her head snap up and she looked at him from under her hat.

Ryoma tugged on the brim of his white hat and avoided directly looking at the twins. "Trying to pretend you don't know us? So _not_ cool," Bethany drawled. She put a hand on her hip and tilted her head to stare at him, a smirk playing on the corners of her lips.

Brenna smirked under her hat as she watched Ryoma try not to smile. "Hiya, Echizen," she said. Ryoma looked at Brenna with and quickly swiped the smile from his face to replace it with a sour look.

"What are you doing here?" Ryoma asked, almost demanded.

"We came to see you, brat," Bethany retorted. The three of them had spent their childhood years playing with each other and Ryoma had always looked up to the twins.

"Okay…I doubt that, but what do you want?" Ryoma's voice was cautious. After spending nearly his entire life so far in the company of these two devious twins, he had learned to be suspicious of everything they did; even if it seemed innocent enough.

Bethany sighed, "A favor from you." Ryoma winced, he knew there was something fishy. The last time he did a favor for the twins, he ended up dressed in a girl's frilly dress with a huge lollipop, posing for a photo shoot for Brenna's school photography class. She said it was because he had the most girly face she knew. At the time, he had been relatively naïve in his thinking and had unknowingly stumbled into the trap.

"It doesn't involve camera or costumes or candy on sticks, does it?" Ryoma asked suspiciously, he didn't want a repeat of what happened last time.

Bethany grinned while Brenna laughed out loud. She fell to her knees and hit the ground with her palm. Everyone looked on with interest at the laughing idiot on the ground. Bethany looked at her sister in surprise and relief. It had been almost two months since Brenna had shown any kind of amusement. She smiled to herself, knowing she made the right decision in bring her to Japan and Ryoma.

When Brenna had composed herself from her laughing fit; she stood up and wiped away her stray tears, chuckles still coming out of her. Bethany, much more composed than her sister, answered Ryoma's original question, "No, I want you," when she said 'you' she indicated all the regulars standing there, "to help Brenna play tennis again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.**

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...****

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 2<span>**

Ryoma's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter as he processed his childhood friend's request. "What?" He finally asked.

Bethany swallowed and looked at her sister who had turned away; all trace of amusement gone from her face. She answered in a quiet voice, "I…she…she can't play tennis anymore."

Ryoma narrowed his eyes fractionally, but otherwise didn't react. "Oh," was all he said.

Ryuzaki stepped in then and said to a tall, long, brown, haired boy with glasses, "They will be under your supervision, Tezuka." The boy nodded, solemnly, adjusting his glasses.

Bethany awkwardly scratched her head as she said, "Well, uh, I'm not staying. I have a soccer tournament in Brazil next week so I have to get back. Sorry 'bout that." She laughed in embarrassment.

Ryuzaki raised her eyebrows and amended her previous statement, "Well, guess you'll just be in charge of Brenna then." Brenna shot a glare at her sister and Bethany twitched. "Sorry," she mouthed, silently. Brenna just huffed and looked down again.

Bethany hugged her sister and then Ryuzaki and then waved bye to Ryoma before taking off to go back to the airport for her plane ride back to the States. Brenna watched her sister disappear and then looked back at the line of regulars with shaded eyes. "Well, guess I'm stuck with you guys." She sighed and then as an afterthought she added, "Oh, yeah, I don't take orders very well." She smirked at Tezuka and then walked over to the fence and leaned against it, head down, arms crossed.

Tezuka looked after her with an unreadable expression and then ordered the regulars, and the members that had stopped their activities to watch them, to go back to work. He spared one last glance at Brenna and then turned to join his teammates. He had bigger concerns than a spoiled brat.

Brenna watched the team the rest of the afternoon. She saw that Tezuka was the captain and that Inui, a brainy, glasses wearing, notebook carrying, data obsessed, spiky haired boy was the one who seemed to be in charge of the drills that they did. A doubles pair, Kikumaru and Oishi were the best doubles pair the team had; as she watched the pair have a match against two other players and saw them move in perfect harmony, she couldn't help but think that she and Bethany were 10x better. She admitted that they were good, with the red-head's fancy flips and his partner's calm observation and the way he analyzed the game, but the twins could still beat them…blind-folded. Well, _she_ could beat them blind folded, but Bethany might need one eye, at least.

Another boy that stood out to her was the "genius" of the team, Fuji Shuusuke. She could tell that he was hiding his true abilities and he didn't really put forth much effort in his matches; he seemed to be toying with his opponent. Brenna thought that his constant smile was also a little strange. Looking at him, she was reminded a bit of herself before…mmm, better stop that train of thought right there.

To distract herself, she looked at the two second years, Momoshiro and Kaidou, who couldn't get along at all. If she was into younger guys, she'd think that Momoshiro was definitely dateable. Kaidou, on the other hand looked sketchy with the way he slouched and not to mention the green and white bandanna around his head. The way he hissed was a little strange; actually, everything about him made her tilt her head in confusion.

"Ahh! Burning!" A loud shout drew Brenna's gaze away from the two bickering second years to where a spiky brown haired third year had just hit a major power shot, barely missing his opponent with his deadly swing. Brenna could detect a fiery aura surrounding him as he faced Fuji. She watched the previously shy and timid tennis player with fascination. She had never seen a tennis player with a split personality; a half-smile turned the right side of her mouth up. Perhaps her stay wouldn't be so bad after all, these were definitely interesting people to say the least.

"Hey, Brenna," a bored voice drawled out next to her. Brenna looked down and saw Ryoma standing near her with a racket in each hand. He held out one, "Want to have a match?" His normal cocky smile on his lips.

Brenna looked at him with narrowed eyes before jerking her head away with a blunt, "Hell no." At this Ryoma's eyes widened and his grip loosened, causing him to drop the offered racket.

"What?" Ryoma's mind was in shock; Brenna Starr _never_ turned down a match. Something was seriously wrong with his older friend. He quickly recovered and looked at her through hooded eyes. "So Beth was right. You can't play tennis." His eyes narrowed and thought that something was fishy about that explanation. "Why not?" His steady stare made Brenna shift and grumble.

"None of your business," she growled at him. The last thing she wanted was him finding out and, heaven forbid, calling her out on it. It wasn't like she was feeling guilty or anything, she just didn't want to explain herself to this Chibi. She had had enough explaining her sudden dislike towards the sport back in the States.

Ryoma stared at her and then gave a cocky smile and started walking away. "Whatever you say, Brenna," he tossed back over his shoulder as he walked over to where the team was taking a break.

Brenna glared after him and at the rest of the players. With her acute hearing she heard a brown haired kid who had a green sweatband around his forehead and was wearing the plain light blue jacket that all the second and third year members who weren't on the regulars say, "What the heck is she doing here? If she doesn't have something to do then she should leave." His friend answered in a quieter voice that she couldn't make out.

Brenna bristled at the brat and she had the urge to wipe the courts with that mop of brown hair. She clenched her fist and cursed herself for promising that she wouldn't beat anyone up while she was in Japan. Those idiots had _no_ idea what she'd been through because of tennis! Like they should even be talking, their skill wasn't even that great. Sure it was exceptional for middle schoolers, but she had been at a higher level since she was seven!

She caught herself thinking about the old days and shook her head to rid herself of those long passed memories. She couldn't go back, not after what tennis had done to her! No way would she go back; no matter what Bethany said! She growled and muttered to herself.

Ryoma watched his childhood friend from where he stood with his teammates and saw Brenna glare at Arai with a such a look that Ryoma checked to make sure the second year wasn't actually on fire. He returned his gaze to her and saw her muttering and probably cursing them all. Ryoma felt a small feeling of pity for the ex-tennis player_. _He remembered how blunt she had been with her refusal of having a match with him. Something had definitely happened since he had left the States. _Just what the hell happened to her?_ Ryoma wondered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 3<br>**  
>Brenna collapsed onto the hotel suite bed and buried her face in the fluffy pillows. She had spent the rest of her afternoon watching the boy's tennis team and she had been bored out of her mind! As the memories floated up before her closed eyes again she gave a muffled scream of frustration and stuffed her face even more into the pillows.<p>

She just wanted to go home. She didn't want to be here where she was surrounded by people who loved tennis, she couldn't handle it. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. No way would she cry about something like that! Brenna Starr doesn't cry, she scolded herself.

She blindly reached into her pocket for her iPod, pulled it out and set it on speaker as loud as it could go. She drifted to sleep listening to So Far Away by Avenged Sevenfold. That song brought up so many memories, both good and bad and yet she couldn't bring herself to stop listening to it.

That night, for the first time in three months, she wasn't met with a nightmare when she closed her eyes.

The next morning Brenna was awakened by the insistent beeping of her alarm on her phone. With great reluctance she drowsily dug it out of her pocket and hit the off button. The offensive noise stopped and her head fell back down onto the pillow. Despite her obvious desire to go back to sleep, the sunlight that glared in through the large window had a different plan for her.

"Get your lazy butt out of bed!" It seemed to say. Brenna groaned and turned sharply onto her side, away from the window and slammed a pillow down over her head. "Go away!" She moaned. The sun kept shining and finally Brenna grew sick of its cheerfulness. "Damn you! I'm up, are you happy now?!" She threw off the pillow and it landed on the other side of the room. "Damn freaking sun!" She cursed as she stood up angrily and realized that she had forgotten to change out of her day clothes. She cursed again and went to where her suitcases were in stacked into pile.

Roughly she pulled out a random suitcase and ripped it open. It was clothes. She grabbed an armful and threw it onto the floor to rifle through. She grabbed a black t-shirt with the English words "Come at me bro" on the front. A pair of dark grey sweatpants and new undergarments were also thrown aside for future use.

Still in a flurry, she ripped open another bag and dumped the contents on her bed. Items of personal hygiene tumbled out and she grabbed the shampoo and conditioner, a facial cleanser and facial moisturizer and disappeared into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later she reappeared, wrapped in a towel with her hair still wet. She quickly dressed and grabbed her blow dryer from her bed and disappeared into the bathroom again, this time the sound of the loud blow dryer could be heard.

Forty minutes later Brenna looked around her hotel room to make sure she hadn't missed anything important. She made a mental checklist and reviewed it: shower-check, skin treatment-check, hair-check, phone-check, iPod-check, room key-check, wallet-check, scarf-check, Seigaku visitor pass-check. She closed the door and took the elevator to the main lobby. She walked out and onto the bustling streets of Tokyo.

She slowly walked down the sidewalk, not really having a destination in mind, but just enjoying the sites. It had been awhile since she had last been in Japan. She decided to try and find a library to chill in for a few hours until she had to go to Seigaku for afternoon practice. As she walked down the busy streets, she wondered dully why she had decided to get up so early when she still had at least five more hours until she had to go to Seigaku. Giving a mental shrug she kept on her path down the streets and resolved not to make the same mistake the next day.

For the next five hours, Brenna stayed in the library that she had found and read a stack of books half the height of herself. She paused in her reading only to buy and eat lunch at a small cafe next to the library. By the time she left, she had become good friends with the youthful librarian who had that shift. They had a similar love of books and had talked extensively about Western books versus Eastern writings.

At 2:30, she left the library and caught a cab to Seigaku. Brenna leaned back in the back seat of the taxi and stared blankly out the window at the blurred scenery passing by. She felt a pang in her chest as she thought of the high fences and the red and blue courts and she mentally slapped herself for even daring to dwell on _that_ subject.

The driver dropped her off in front of the school gates just as the regular students were leaving. She slipped through the crowd to the back of the school where the tennis courts were. The team was still getting ready in the club room so Brenna walked onto the courts alone. She looked around at the familiar red and blue courts with their waist high nets and felt nostalgia well up within her.

She remembered when she had walked on these courts like she owned them; and, to be honest, she did. She had become a pro tennis player at the age of 13 and had won a Grand Slam title when she was 14 as well as Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam. She and Bethany had grown up with a dad who had won two consecutive Grand Slam titles and a mother who had played on the senior USA Women's National Soccer Team since she was 17. From birth, both girls had played a variety of other sports, soon enough Brenna fell in love with tennis and her sister had taken to soccer, although both girls were very proficient in the other's sport.

Both girls gave their all and trained their hardest so that they could become professionals as well. Both were absolutely devoted to their sport and _nothing_ could stop them from playing; not broken bones, not pulled muscles, not mean comments from fellow players; nothing. They kept moving forward in the pursuit of their dreams.

That was until _that_ happened. Brenna winced inwardly. She had been training for the upcoming French Open since she had already won the previous Australian Open and was aiming for another Grand Slam title. She had finished her training for that day and had gone on a walk in the city and stumbled across a bunch of street tennis players. Feeling confident, she had challenged all of them to a match and had won every single one, not losing a single point. Of course the players weren't happy to have been beaten by a young girl so they ganged up on her and had beaten her up.

She had escaped and called her sister, but had lost consciousness and had to be hospitalized and placed in the intensive care unit for two weeks. Over the next few weeks her injuries had healed and only scars were left behind, but that was only physical. Brenna's mentality after the incident had been thrown off and now she was a cynical and withdrawn person, the total opposite of her previous outgoing and friendly self.

Her family had not worried much, assuming that she needed a break from any activities, but when the time came up pick up her racket and resume training she hadn't been able to even go within three feet of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...**

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 4<br>**  
>"Ah! Starr-san! Hello!" Oishi, the vice-captain, greeted the scarf-wearing girl with a friendly smile. The red-head who used acrobatics (Kikumaru…was his name?) was with him.<p>

"Hello, Starr-san! How are you today, nya?" His bright smile and bouncy attitude made Brenna feel awkward.

"Uh, I guess I'm okay." Brenna answered, trying not to let her discomfort show.

Oishi smiled kindly at her. "Would you like to begin training with us today, Starr-san?" More tennis players started arriving at the courts and Brenna felt as if she should get out of there.

"Uh, um…I-I dunno," she muttered, hiding her mouth in her scarf, her eyes shifted back and forth at the climbing number of people.

Oishi smiled, "Well let's ask Tezuka what he thinks." Brenna narrowed her eyes at the mention of the stoic captain of the Seigaku boy's tennis team. Something about the guy just made her feel uneasy, even more so than the forever smiling "genius".

She let none of her thoughts show on her face, though, and assumed a mask of blank expression. "Sure," she replied. Oishi and Kikumaru led her over to where said stoic captain was carefully watching the already practicing boys.

As Oishi, Kikumaru and Brenna approached him, he looked at Oishi and Kikumaru sternly, "Why aren't you warming up?"

Kikumaru smiled and said, "Sorry, Tezuka! Got distracted!" He laughed and scurried off to begin his warm-ups.

Oishi said, "I was inviting Brenna to practice with us. Is that alright Tezuka-san?" Brenna kept her eyes glued to the ground and tried even harder to hide behind her scarf.

"Very well, Starr-san, you can begin by running ten laps." Tezuka's sternness and unemotional state caused Brenna to want to be out of that place as soon as possible.

Oishi protested, "Tezuka-san, don't you think that's too much?" Tezuka looked at him. "I mean, she's only a beginner. Can't we take it easier on her?"

Tezuka remained as impassive as ever when he corrected his vice-captain. "She's not a beginner at tennis, Oishi-san. Bethany-san said she can't play anymore. Which means that she has played in the past; am I correct, Starr-san?" Tezuka addressed Brenna who still refused to look at him.

Brenna was mildly impressed that Tezuka had remembered what her sister had said. Then again she knew that there was something abnormal about the Captain. "Yeah, it's true. I _used_ to play tennis, but I don't anymore."

Oishi looked at her in surprise. "Really? Were you good at it? Why'd you quit?"

Brenna sighed. "I don't play 'cause I can't play anymore. Simple as that." She spun around on her heel and started jogging around the tennis courts. Tezuka and Oishi looked after her with different expressions; Oishi's was one of shock and Tezuka had his normal unemotional mask on.

Brenna completed her laps with ease. So much so that her breathing wasn't even abnormal. Even though she hadn't been playing tennis, Brenna had been working at other sports, namely soccer, a little boxing and furthering her studies in karate. She was by no means out of shape. She stretched by herself next to the fence and wished that she had a soccer ball. She didn't want to participate in even a small tennis practice. It left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Oi! Starr-san! Whacha doing'?" Brenna looked up at the person who had called out to her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw that it was the loud, energetic second year, Takeshi Momoshiro. He approached and crouched down next to her as she stretched on the ground. He watched her with interest.

Brenna felt his eyes staring a hole into her side and asked, "What do you want? I'm busy." She kept her face down and hid her mouth in her scarf. She pulled her left leg in and stretched her right one out and leaned forward to grab her toes.

Momoshiro laughed awkwardly and said, "Well, just wanted to ask if we could play a match." Brenna could see that he had his racket with him.

Brenna sighed, stopped stretching and leapt with grace to her feet. "I don't play tennis." She started walking away after shaking out each leg.

But Momoshiro wasn't going to be shot down. He followed after her as she stalked across the courts. "Hey, what do mean? I thought you did?" He walked backward next to her and she silently hoped he's trip.

"I don't play tennis anymore, Momoshiro, so quit bugging me!" Brenna snapped angrily at the persistent second year and quickened her pace, trying to leave the second year in the dust.

Momoshiro stopped and looked after her in confusion. _What's her problem?_ He thought. "Don't let her bother you," a bored voice to his right made him jump a little.

"Echizen! Don't scare me like that!" Momoshiro scolded his short friend. "And what do you mean by that?" he questioned.

Ryoma didn't answer, he only looked after the retreating teen's stiff back and Momoshiro saw what he suspected to be worry in his dark eyes. He kept his observation to himself, though. "Momoshiro, Echizen, run 15 laps now! Don't get distracted!" Tezuka's stern voice rang out over the courts and the two boys groaned, but obeyed. The matter of Brenna's new behavior didn't leave Ryoma, however, and he decided to call Bethany and ask for details after practice.

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><p>The sun was beginning to go down and shadows had gotten longer when the boy's tennis team finally ended their practice. Most of the club members had already left and the rest was changing in the club room. The courts were deserted and a cool breeze made the ends of Brenna's scarf flutter as she stood on the empty courts.<p>

She looked around with sad eyes. Just like earlier that day, a feeling of crushing regret and nostalgia gripped her heart and dominated her mind. She could feel a headache coming on and she cursed her stupid emotions.

In the corner, she saw that the freshmen had forgotten to put away a single tennis ball. The small, fuzzy ball shifted in the breeze and Brenna walked over to stand above it. She stood there watching as it swayed back and forth. She bent her knees and rested her chin on them to get a closer look.

A timid hand crept away from her side and hovered over the ball, not touching it. The closer her hand got to the ball, the more it shook. She gulped and then narrowed her eyes; she was _not_ going to be defeated by a mere tennis ball. She forced her hand to go closer. The tips of her fingers brushed the tennis ball's furry covering and she yanked her hand back and shot to her feet. Her breath coming in short pants; she held the hand that had touched the ball close to her chest. She stared at the ball in despair and anger and in a sudden fit of rage, kicked it. The ball smashed into the fence and became lodged in the hole that it had flown into. Brenna turned and walked off the courts and through the fence to go back to the hotel.

Ryoma and the rest of the regulars peeked at the girl through the windows of the club room. They watched as she kicked the ball and then stalked off the courts. They waited in silence even after she had disappeared.

Kikumaru's normally cheerful voice had lost its cheer and was serious when he asked, "Ochibi, what's wrong with Brenna-san?" The rest of the regulars also looked at the shorty.

Echizen just shrugged and turned to walked out of the club room. Even though he looked aloof, the regulars could see that he was worried about his childhood friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Edit 9/2/13: I am rewriting this, kinda...more like fixing all the shitty mistakes. Ugh, that was not okay. I can't believe I let something like that stay online for that long. But everything is pretty much the same, just a little fixing and adding here and there.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Prince of Tennis, obviously...**

**Chapter 5  
><span>**  
><em>Pain.<em>

_The pain was everywhere. She couldn't escape it no matter how hard she screamed or how hard she begged to the released._

_Cursing, swearing and ugly taunts hammered her ears just as much as they were hammering her body. She begged for them to stop, but they didn't._

_No, of course they didn't. They hit harder. Brenna looked up through a haze of black and pain and saw the racket descending._

_It fell in slow motion towards her. She could see the scratches on the rim, she could count the stitches and she could clearly see that it was what she loved that was descending upon her._

_And when it hit, it was not only a physical hit, but an emotional blow, a mental scarring. She then lost all emotion to rage and threw off her attackers, cracked the racket that had betrayed her and ran. She ran and ran; blood pouring down her face, tripping because her vision consisted of only two colors: black and red._

_She fumbled for her cell phone and pressed the first button her finger touched. A sweet voice came through and she could only croak a single syllable before black completely dominated her senses: "B-Beth." She hit the ground face first._

* * *

><p><em><em>  
>Another week went by with Brenna watching the tennis team. She had melted a little of her ice shield and now held simple conversations with most of the regulars. She still tried to avoid Tezuka and Fuji without making it obvious that she was trying to avoid them. No matter what, being around them for too long made her gut feel weird.<p>

She got along with Kaidou the best; mostly likely because their personalities were similar; unsociable and didn't talk much. She found out about his liking for cute little animals on accident when she had stumbled upon him playing with Karupin, Ryoma's cat. She'd sworn not to tell anyone, of course that was after taking several pictures and a secret video as a keepsake.

Brenna still refused to touch a racket or tennis ball, but now would watch the matches between regulars with interest instead of falling asleep standing up like she had before. Echizen and Momoshiro asked her everyday if she would play a match with one of them and everyday her answer was the same, "Hell no." Even though her answer never changed, her voice did, it had become softer, less angry and resentful and her answer became more of a robotic response than a hate-filled declaration.

* * *

><p>Today, Brenna stood next to Inui and Kaidou as they watched a practice match between Tezuka and Kawamura. The sound of the trio of annoying freshmen yelling out all the shots and Kawamura's battle cry of "Burning!" really started to get on Brenna's nerves.<p>

After a particularly loud "Burning!" Brenna ground her teeth together and her fingers started twitching. Inui noticed and asked what was wrong.

"Nothing, sorry about that." Brenna forced herself to relax and to shut out the annoying sounds around her. She focused on Tezuka and noticed again that he was taking it much too easy on the power player. She suspected she knew the reason why he and Fuji never played at full strength; if they did, then it wouldn't be much of a match. She also suspected the reason why it bothered her so much was because she had often done the same thing, play to the level of her opponents so as not to end the match too quickly.

Brenna narrowed her eyes as she stared at the ease at which the captain seemed to be returning all of Kawamura's powerful shots. Yes, he really did irritate her. As she watched she noticed another thing that interested her greatly. She glanced at Inui to ask him about it, but looked away again when she saw that he was totally caught up in the match and jotting down notes in his data book. Why anyone kept such a religious data book was beyond her knowledge. She preferred to learn about the opponent on the course, after all, where was the fun in knowing all of your opponents' moves?

She looked over her shoulder and saw Ryoma standing a little ways away, watching the match with his baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. She turned her attention back to the stoic captain and his unfortunate opponent, wondering what a match between her childhood friend and the captain would be like. That was something that she wouldn't mind seeing, even if it was tennis.

In the midst of wondering what the match would be like, a totally absurd thought popped up: what would a match between _her_ and Tezuka be like? She shook her head vigorously, _Where the hell did that thought come from?_ She turned her attention back to the unfair game, the familiar uneasiness fluttering her stomach, and saw that it was drawing to a close.

* * *

><p>Tezuka was the first to leave the club room after getting changed from his practice clothes. He walked out of the club room after bidding his fellow club members farewell and walked around the corner of the club room to find Brenna leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets and eyes closed.<p>

Brenna heard the one she was waiting for approach and, without opening her eyes, she asked him, "What is it?" Tezuka stopped.

"What do you mean, Starr-san?" He answered with another question.

Brenna cracked open an eye a tiny bit and stared at him before closing it again. "You know, your arm."

Tezuka was silent. Brenna opened both her eyes and turned her head to look at him. His face was still an emotionless mask and Brenna felt her temper flare, as well as more fluttering, but she stamped it down. She didn't want to ruin her chance at getting answers.

"Nothing." Tezuka's voice surprised her. "I don't know what you're talking about." He started walking, but Brenna quickly moved to block his path.

"Don't give me that crap!" All trace of easygoing had disappeared and her eyes glared at him, alive with flame. "Your arm is hurt and yet you still play, albeit with your other arm." She snapped at him.

Tezuka blinked, but otherwise didn't show any reaction. Brenna kept going, "If you're hurt, why are you still playing? You should heal it before you completely lose it!" This outburst was the most words that Brenna had said to the captain to date. The uneasiness had turned into fuel for her rant, leaving no her inhibitions for yelling at the other.

Tezuka merely answered in a calm, voice, "Because I love tennis and I don't want to leave my team here. I will see this team to the nationals, even if I lose the use of my arm. That it my resolve." He said it with such conviction and purpose. There was no uncertainty or doubt in his voice or his eyes and that's what scared her the most.

After a few seconds of shocked silence, she got her brain working again and she burst out, "That's crazy talk! You don't want to leave your team for a few months to get your arm healed so you will still be able to use it. Instead you'd rather risk the loss of mobility in your arm just so your team can go to freaking nationals? Are you insane?!" By the end, Brenna had reached a height in her ranting and had started yelling and flailing her arms around. She couldn't believe that such a player with as much talent and potential as Tezuka would risk losing all that just because he wanted his team to go to nationals. Such a thing was inconceivable to her and she grabbed her head in her hands and groaned from the massive headache it brought on. "Why?" She repeated. "You have so much and…yet…you're gonna give it all up for your team?" Tears had begun to spill over and run in tiny, shining streams down her cheeks.

She quickly wiped them away with the end of her scarf, but more kept coming. "Shit," she mumbled as more wet spots appeared on her scarf. "Damn it."

Tezuka watched as her tears began to overflow and guessed that the reason she no longer played tennis was because of an injury. As she wiped away more tears, she swept aside the hair covering the right side of her face and Tezuka's eyes narrowed when he saw the jagged scar. It marred her otherwise perfect skin from above her right eyebrow and down to the bottom of her ear. "Starr-san," he whispered. For some reason, a feeling of loss and hurt rolled coiled up in his gut and he couldn't explain it. He hated the sight of that scar. Sure, he had seen others with injuries and scars, but the sight of this one, cut him straight in the heart.

Brenna's body shook with the effort of trying to stop her tears. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to calm her breathing and her heart. She cursed in her head because she was crying in front of another person. The only people who had ever seen or even heard her cry were Ryoma, Bethany and her parents. Now here she was; shamefully crying in front of a person she had only met less than ten days ago and one who she didn't even know whether she liked or disliked. The confused thought only made her cry harder.

"Damn it all! Screw you, Bethany! And you Echizen! And everyone else for making me remember and making me feel like this! And causing me to be all emotional!" She cursed everyone that came to mind and last of all she cursed herself for being so stupid and selfish and hateful. She had given up what she loved in this world because of an unfortunate experience. She had believed that tennis had betrayed her and so had turned her back on it, refusing to have anything to do with the sport. She had thrown herself into other sports, but none of them had made her feel like she did when she held a racket and heard the repetitious _thunk_ of the tennis ball hitting the ground.

She dropped to the ground and curled her arms around her head and drew her knees up to her chest and then let it _all_ out. She wailed loudly and without shame for the first time in seven years. All the pent up anger, self-loathing, hatred, pity, frustration and sadness flowed out of her like river. Tezuka, feeling lost, knelt down beside her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say to a crying person so he continued to crouch down in silence, his hand on her shoulder.

Ryoma and the rest of the regulars came running around the corner when they heard Brenna start sobbing. Ryoma knelt down on her other side and put a hand on her shaking shoulder. His emotions were in a jumble as he watched his childhood friend, who had sworn off crying at age eight, bawl like a newborn baby. For the moment, he ignored his captain's hand that had slipped off when he and the others had arrived.

Brenna could feel the comforting hand of her childhood friend on her shoulder and kept right on sobbing. No one said a word until she had begun to calm down again. She lifted her head and saw Ryoma's face. She wrapped him in a tight hug and held on. She was relieved when he didn't try to run away. She buried her face in his soft hair and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

Ryoma and Brenna stayed like that until she had completely stopped. And then he helped her to her feet.

"Starr-san," Kikumaru ventured to ask, "Are you alright now?" His navy blue eyes were filled with worry and curiosity. Brenna gave him a half-smile and nodded, still wiping away the last tears with her scarf.

"Y-yeah," her breath hitched and she let out a long, relieved sigh. "That felt good," she murmured to herself. It felt as if all of her fears and frustrations and anger had been swept away in that torrent of tears. Now, all she had left was the feeling of relief and gratefulness to the people who had stuck with her sorry ass through everything.

Ryoma gave his know-it-all smirk and said, "Mada mada dane." Instantly Brenna had him in a choke hold and was slowly crushing the air from his lungs.

"Don't you _dare_ say such insolent things to _me_, shorty. I'll eat you." Brenna threatened with a look of death of her face, although the effect was slightly ruined by her red, puffy eyes. Ryoma chocked out his apology before Brenna released him. The regulars smiled at the fact that someone had finally gotten him for his famously irritating catch phrase.

"Ah, why don't we go to Kawamura's place to celebrate?" Kikumaru suggested with his usual enthusiasm back. He started pulling at Oishi's arm.

Inui pushed up his glasses and agreed, "Yes, we should."

Momoshiro grinned and yelled excitedly, "Food! Let's go!"

Fuji just smiled his smile, not saying anything, and Kikumaru took that as a yes.

Ryoma groaned, "I don't-gack!" Brenna had him in another choke hold. "He'll go." She said. The others sweat dropped.

Kaidou gave his consent with his typical "_ffssshhh_."

Kawamura smiled and said. "Sure! That's a great idea."

Oishi turned to Tezuka, "What about it, Tezuka?" Tezuka looked at Brenna struggling with Ryoma and Momoshiro egging them. The previous feeling of hurt and confusion had melted into relief as he saw her smiling face. Oishi saw a distant look in his captain's and he had no clue what it was about. Tezuka slowly nodded, not taking his eyes off the trio.

Kikumaru jumped and did a flip. "Yay! We're going!" He started running.

"Oi, Eiji! Slow down!" Oishi called after his hyperactive doubles partner and started chasing after him.

The rest followed behind, slower of course; with Brenna and Ryoma still engaged in their wrestling match and Momoshiro cheering them on. Kaidou watched the scene with his usual impassiveness, but when Brenna grinned at him, even though her eyes were still puffy and swollen from crying, he couldn't help but crack a tiny smile.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Brenna caught the tennis ball that was thrown to her and held it in her hand, looking at it. She felt a sense of accomplishment, relief, happiness and joy wash over her as she looked at the small yellowish, fuzzy ball that meant so much to her.

"Here," she looked up to see Ryoma offering her a racket. She reached out her left hand and, with trembling fingers, gripped the handle. The familiar feeling of the tape rubbing against her palm made her grin and she swung the racket over her shoulder.

Ryoma walked to the opposite court and settled into a receiving position. The entire tennis club lined up on the side, watching silently; the regulars in the front. Oishi climbed into the referee's chair. Brenna bounced the ball on the ground and she had a thought, more like a realization; one that hadn't crossed her mind for three months.

"One set match. Starr-san to serve," Oishi announced. Brenna kept bouncing the ball in front of her as she looked across at Ryoma. She started grinning.

"You know what, Echizen?" The ball streaked past Ryoma and struck the fence behind him with a clang. Everyone watching gasped, they looked at the players and saw that Ryoma was frozen and Brenna was just relaxing out of her serving stance with her grin still plastered to her face. She winked at him as she straightened up.

Ryoma looked behind him and saw the ball roll lazily away from the fence. He looked back at Brenna; he hadn't even seen her swing.

"Tennis, hmmm, I love tennis," Ryoma felt a rare genuine smile approaching as Brenna continued.

"Tennis is fun."


End file.
